CD Reviews

Clearly a beginning

William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 12/09/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since hearing "Noise Made By People," I've become a rabid Broadcast convert, and thus got "Work And Non-Work" in order to own the band's complete catolouge.The CD--not a proper album but a collection of early singles and EPs--is clearly a testing out of gambits Broadcast doesn't know how it wants to play yet. The material was recorded in 1996 and 1997, when corperate hype about Electronica being the "next big thing" was at fever pitch. Songs like "Phantom" and "Living Room" cross techno style with 60s-style gothic darkness.The results are plesent to listen to, but sound like music that dozens "techno" bands were making at the time; right before they dropped off the edge of a cliff, never to be heard from again. Little of the remarkable playing and writing that make "Extended Play Two" and "Noise Made By People" so outstanding is evident here.The one exception, however, is "Accidentals." The song uses jump-cut editing and a murky, druggy texture to create extremely disturbing atmosphere. You are repelled by its creepy undertoe, yet listen over and over. Brillant. "Work and Non-Work" is actually fantastic news for Broadcast fans. Taken in the context of their later work, the collection shows that Broadcast is a band that is evolving, improving, and moving forward. Hopefully, we will get to watch them do so for a long, long time."

Dreamy Space Lounge

T.S. Hunter | Glendora, CA USA | 08/23/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great for if you want to take a nap or chill out or make out. Very soothing music and singing. King of spacey electronic with an ambient feel and also a little loungy, but not your typical. Definitely worth the purchase, I used to play it on my radio show all the time. It was one of my favorite CD's."

There's a quiet dignity about this album

Jasper Mcworthy | USA | 01/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I agree their later stuff really hits the spot, but here they are clearly on their way to something unique. Experimental in a good way. They seem to fit just right and slide through each song to make it a cohesive listen. I found that walking around my apartment doing random tasks and listening with a not so attentive ear, I found it very pleasant. A good album to relax to for sure."

Works and non-works

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 11/10/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Broadcast's blend of indie-rock, trip-hop, jazz and experimental are what make this melodic little band so appealing. Unfortunately "Work and Non-Work," a collection of early singles, is not so good, relying too heavily on electronic blips and washes and too little on the experimental indiepop.

It opens with the wavery "Accidentals," an eerie ballad that sounds like it was sung underwater, followed by a pair of sound-alike songs, one guitar-led and one almost purely electronic, but possessing a lot of the same beats. The experimental edge gets stronger in songs like the watery "Phantom," and distractingly noisy "We've Got Time."

An indie-rock edge reenters with "Living Room," which hints at the sound Broadcast would end up embracing -- a solid guitar and percussion, overlaid with delicate sound effects. So does "According to No Plan," a funereal trip-hop song. It ends on a note that led up to their more accomplished full-length albums, with the mellow, jazzy-poppy "Lights Out."

Broadcast can be forgiven for not getting into their best sound immediately. They weren't sure what they were going to play, especially if they wanted to be huge -- electronica is a tricky area. For every Stereolab, you have dozens of trippy bands that don't know how to weave their sound together. Fortunately Broadcast steady themselves on the last half of this collection.

Their watery sound is a bit reminiscent of Aspera, or maybe Stereolab on some serious sedatives, but the songs are too loose-knit to be as good. They seem to throw in too many sound effects that aren't necessary -- they're just THERE, hovering over the main melody. Lots of keyboard, of course. And while the guitar is overshadowed by the keyboard in "Book Lovers," it does have plenty of skill to it.

Trish Keenan has a beautiful voice -- sweet, pure and quite strong. Not even the overshadowing keyboard melodies can keep it hidden. Just don't read the lyrics before listening -- the songs themselves are not exceptional. Simple, lacking in details or creative metaphors, and not focusing on anything as spacey as the music.

Fans of Broadcast may want to check out this early collection of singles, to get a better idea of what the band sounded like before their musical breakthroughs. Just be warned -- there's nothing so polished as what they do now even if it is quite pretty."